Last summer when Tarrant County APA League Operators Les and Francee Moore were getting ready to order trophies for the session, their daughter, Theresa, mentioned that they should give members the opportunity to donate the cost of the their trophy to charity. Theresa, who had recently graduated from college, played soccer since she was 4 years old and won multiple trophies over the years.
“Often times the trophies would end up in a box in storage and were never brought out again,” said Francee. “And I cannot tell you how many times we had players tell us they pull the nameplate off of the trophy and either trash the physical trophy or give it to Goodwill. Les and I have dozens of boxes of trophies ourselves in the garage from the past 10 years that we will never have a use for.”
The Moores felt their daughter’s idea had merit, so they decided to give it a try. The following session they gave each member receiving a trophy the option of keeping it or donating it. They also gave members the opportunity to donate the trophy cost if they wanted to receive the trophy and still make a donation. Out of 132 Tarrant County APA members eligible to receive trophies after the fall session, 28 chose to donate them back to charity. A total of $260 was raised from the cost of trophies donated and another $70 was donated by players keeping theirs. The $330 collected will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association in the name of the players.
The Moores believe this program was a success and plan on continuing it for future sessions. Local charities such as the Union Gospel Mission, Shelter for Battered Women, Tarrant County Food Bank, and others will be the recipients of future donations.
For more information about the Alzheimer’s Association please visit www.alz.org, and for more information on the Tarrant County APA visit tarrant.apaleagues.com.
It was an exciting weekend at Baxter’s in Fairview Heights, Ill., as Midwest Illinois APA held their annual charity event in memory of longtime member Bob Hinkle, Jr. The benefit raised $1,400 for the St. Louis Regional Chapter of the ALS Association.
The event kicked off Friday, Dec. 10 with an exhibition by Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman. Dr. Cue put on a fantastic trick shot show for approximately 40 people. In lieu of an admission fee, spectators were asked to make a donation to help fight ALS—better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Saturday featured an 8-Ball scotch doubles tournament and a lag competition. The father and son team of Marty and Martin Kaczmarowski won the scotch doubles tournament for the second straight year. It was not an easy victory, as Marty and Martin lost their second match and had to make their way through the loser’s bracket. Jake Freely and Kenny Fairall finished in 2nd Place, and the teams consisting of Terry Elrod and Mike Whitelaw and Jeff Meadows and Mike Tripp tied for 3rd Place.
The lag competition was run by Dr. Cue and Ms. Cue, who matched the money collected from entry fees for the competition. First Place in the lag competition went to Kenny Fairall, Travis King finished in 2nd Place, 3rd Place went to Marty Kaczmarowski and Niki Fudge finished in 4th Place. Everyone who participated in the tournament received an APA holiday patch and ornament— everyone who made a donation received an APA holiday patch and ALS red bracelet.
Baxter’s donated all of the table time for Dr. Cue’s show on Friday night and the tournament on Saturday. Prizes were donated by Rixstine Recognition, Gary Newingham of Cue Buddy, Patti and Steve Lash of Budget Signs, Trophies & Plaques, Joe and Kathy Gertken, Tom and Marty Rossman, Bruce and Dana Patton and Judy and Alex Hinkle, who also donated their time to help run the event. Also donating their time to sell raffle tickets and collect donations were Kathy Gillespie, Lynn Cook and Sandy Cook.
Please visit alsa.org for more information about the ALS Association; for additional information about the Midwest Illinois APA visit midwestil.apaleagues.com.
Most people support a specific charity because of a personal connection—and Midwest Illinois APA League Operators Bruce and Dana Patton certainly fall into that category. For the past three years, the Patton’s have conducted a Scotch Doubles Tournament to benefit the ALS Association. The tournament is held in memory of long time APA member Bob Hinkle, Jr., who passed away in fall 2007—less than a year after being diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The tournament took place on Dec. 19 at Baxter’s in Fairview Heights, Ill. The modified single elimination tournament boasted 22 teams. The father and son team of Marty and Martin Kaczmarowski took first place.
The event also featured an exhibition by world famous trick shot artist, Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman, who stuck around after his show to run a lag competition. Dr. Cue and his wife then graciously matched the amount collected from the lag competition! Ethan Adams took first place in the lag competition, while Mark Montgomery finished second.
The benefit raised $1,452 for the ALS Association, which was donated to the St. Louis Regional Chapter.
Please visit alsa.org for more information about the ALS Association; for additional information about the Midwest Illinois APA go to midwestil.apaleagues.com.
